Periwinkle, The 77th 9+ Flux Elite

No, scratch that. I wasn't ready.

The second those gates hissed open and I saw those things, those wolf-dogs again, all muscle, bone, and death, I knew I'd lied to myself.

I wasn't ready. Not even close.

They bolted toward me like they'd been starved for years, claws clanking against the steel floor, jaws open, dripping saliva thick as oil. My legs kicked in before my brain could form a plan. I ran so fast the world around me blurred into streaks of rust and silver. I couldn't even register the crowd screaming above me, couldn't process anything except staying ahead of those things.

A claw slashed right where my back had been a second ago. The wind of it actually hit me. Another one leapt from behind a broken column. I ducked, rolled, kept moving. They were everywhere, flanking me, cutting off escape paths like they knew the layout better than I did.

The crowd was laughing. They thought this was entertainment. Some of them even cheered when I tripped over my own foot and slammed into a wall. The wind flew out of my lungs and I barely rolled aside as a wolf-dog slammed into the spot where my head had been. I scrambled up, coughing, barely holding in the scream building in my throat.

And then something snapped. Not in my body. In my brain.

One of them lunged. I didn't move. I pivoted my entire body, planted my foot, and threw a punch straight into its face.

It didn't just fall. It exploded.

Blood sprayed across my cheek, warm and wet and smelling like iron. The thing collapsed into a pile of limbs, and for a solid second, no one made a sound. Even the wolves stopped.

Even me.

Did I just—?

No time to think.

Another lunged. This time, I met it halfway. I ducked low, dodging its fangs, then rose with an uppercut so vicious my knuckles came out the top of its skull.

Something in me kicked into gear. Instinct. Adrenaline. Rage. All of it mixed and boiled into something primal.

I fought like an animal. No technique. No plan. Just raw, unfiltered violence.

I leapt onto another, wrapping my arms around its neck and squeezing until I felt bones pop. I threw it aside like a ragdoll. One bit down on my arm. I ignored the pain, grabbed its jaw, and tore it sideways. It let out a choking yelp before collapsing.

They weren't ready for this. I wasn't either.

Another one tried to flank me. I backflipped off a broken column, landed behind it, and drove my foot into its spine. It cracked like a shotgun blast.

My hands were covered in blood now. My arms were sore. My body screamed at me to stop, to rest, to breathe.

I didn't.

I punched through another one, bones cracking and blood spraying across the arena. I swung its corpse into another like a baseball bat. They both fell.

The floor was a mess now. I didn't even flinch anymore. And when the last one stood, growling, foam trailing from its maw, I didn't hesitate.

I charged and met it mid-air with both fists.

The impact was like a grenade going off. The wolf's body exploded in every direction. My body crashed into the ground, sliding across blood-slick steel.

I lay there, panting, drenched in gore, staring at the dark arena ceiling.

I looked up to see one of the Rogue Elites standing at the edge of the arena, impressed.

"She's still alive," someone muttered.

"Barely," said another.

I rolled over onto my side, still breathing, still alive. My heart was pounding in my ears. My hands trembled. But I was up. And my Flux had not activated yet.

Damn it.

I could barely feel my legs. Every step out of that arena felt like a war crime against my muscles. My arms were drenched in dried blood and god knows what else, my clothes were basically shredded, and I was pretty sure something inside me was still rattling from that mid-air slam.

But there he was, leaning against a wall like he hadn't just thrown me into a pit of apex predators with nothing but vibes and a heartbeat. His mask was off again, hair a lazy mess and those ridiculous multicolored eyes watching me with that infuriating calm. And that damn smirk.

"You did good."

That was it. That's all he said. I glared at him like I had any energy left to make that mean something.

"Good?! I almost died!"

"Almost being the key word. You're still breathing. And you exploded a wolfdog with your bare fists, so... I'd say you're ahead of the curve."

I staggered toward him, still panting. "You think this is funny?"

"No," he said, gently pulling something from his coat. "I think this is impressive."

He handed it to me. It was a sleek, obsidian black card. The edges shimmered faintly with an iridescent blue line. My breath hitched as I turned it over and saw the name etched in clean, silver lettering:

Periwinkle.

"Periwinkle...?" I looked at him, squinting. "Are you serious?"

He raised a brow.

"All 9+ Flux bearers are given a codename. It's policy. You don't get to use your real name until you complete a recognized high-tier mission. Unless..." He tapped the card with a single gloved finger. "...you're under someone's protection."

"Let me guess. Yours?"

He smirked. "You're welcome."

I turned the card over in my hand, and even though my whole body ached and I still smelled like a battlefield barbecue, something in me sparked. Something proud. Something... new.

Phaser stepped back, hands slipping into his coat pockets as we began walking deeper into the castle's inner sanctum.

"The black card isn't just a fancy ID. It's the pinnacle. The highest classification a Rogue Flux Elite can achieve within RCP. It gives you unrestricted access to everything. Gear, intelligence, transport, weapons, safehouses, credits, and even access across the Five Eresnae."

I blinked, trying to catch up. "Everything?"

"You are officially the 77th 9+ Rogue Flux Elite."

The hallway lights shifted as we passed, long strips of cerulean and violet adjusting to the card in my hand, reading it. Recognizing me. Welcoming me.

"You earned it," he said quietly.

I looked back down at the name. Periwinkle. It sounded ridiculous. But it was real. I had a name. I had a card. I had a rank.

And as crazy as it sounded, for the first time since the Second Thauma turned my life upside down, I wasn't just surviving anymore.

I was someone recognized in an organization I had no clue about. At least I'm not a tour guide anymore.